Central Asia Security Roundup
Welcome to another roundup of military and security news from Central Asia. We’ll begin with the military expansion of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), comprised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which plans to increase the size of the Central Asia-based Collective Rapid Reaction Force. The CSTO has also recently held security discussions with Afghanistan, and plans to build an air-defence network to cover the member states. For the moment, however, it appears that Iran is unlikely to join.
The US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan has recently had to deny that the US plans to use Manas air force base in any possible attack on Iran. The base is particularly controversial as the US has refused to give up the American airman responsible for the shooting of a Kyrgyz citizen at the base gates in December. The shooting is one of a number of recent incidents which have fed into a growing anti-Western mood in Kyrgyzstan. The recent request for Russian help in guarding Kyrgyz borders may be an indication of a Kyrgzstan’s future strategic orientation.
In Uzbekistan, officials with backgrounds in security and law enforcement are increasingly coming to dominate the government. The regime has also used terrorism and smuggling as reasons to establish buffer zones along Uzbekistan’s borders, particulalry in the Fergana valley. In a more puzzling development, the ex-head of Uzbek army intelligence has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for passing secrets to Russia.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s new military doctrine has been published, setting out its ‘multi-vectored’ strategy. There’s more analysis of the Kazakhstan’s strategic balancing act between the West, Russia and China here.
There appears to be little sign of the post-Turkmenbashi thaw in Turkmenistan, as the security services are putting even more pressure on the the few remaining NGOs. This comes despite the sacking of the head of the presidential security service, who was one of the most powerful figures of the former regime. On the foreign policy front, President Berdymukhammedov has signalled a possible end to the Turkmenistan’s self-imposed isolation, and is reaching out to Russia, the US, and regional neighbours.
The Tajik foreign minister has again stated his country’s strategic partnership with Russia, while seeking closer ties with China, the EU and US, particulary over security matters. Internally, the Tajik government has been clamping down on conservative Muslims, who it accuses of ‘extremism’. Three Tajik men were sentenced last month to 19 years in jail for their membership of the IMU, while an Iranian citizen has been arrested in Dushanbe, accused of recruiting teenagers to be given terrorist training abroad.
on May 29th, 2007 at 6:29 am
Thanks for the great roundup, Neil!
For anyone interested on more details on the situation in Kyrgyzstan, I’ve posted on the media atmosphere surrounding a local movement pushing for the withdrawal of the Ganci base and the CSTO Sec-General’s visit last week.